why not ain't?
can anyone explain why contractions for "not to be" (e.g. you aren't, he isn't, we aren't, etc.) persist and remain extremely useful, while a contraction for the first person singular form never...
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There's a brief summary of the history (with some discussion in the comment thread) in this LH post.
View ArticleRe: why not ain't?
fascinating post lh. I had a gut feeling that the "mn" in "amn't" would be too alien for english speakers to pronounce (how many syllables would it have?) and the slide into the one syllable ain't is...
View ArticleRe: why not ain't?
Well, there you go. I never knew this wasn't common usage, the Scottish do mainly say "amn't" (pronounced 'ahment') and this is the first I have heard of it not 'officially' being English!!Didn't the...
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I just can't think of another way to say: "I amn't sure"I'm not sure either.
View ArticleRe: why not ain't?
Funny, Mr. Gorman. We have discussed this before, but I can't find it.
View ArticleRe: why not ain't?
Quote: "amn't" is supposedly used in Scotland and Ireland.It certainly is used in Ireland and I've most often heard it pronounced as ammunt, with the emphasis on the em sound and a very short u sound;...
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